NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-10-09

 As the government shutdown persists, calls for House Speaker John Boehner to allow a vote on the Senate spending bill are growing louder. As NPR’s Ailsa Chang reports, both President Obama and Senate leaders say the speaker could single-handedly end the shutdown if he held such a vote.

 

House Speaker John Boehner claimed over the weekend there aren’t enough votes to pass the Senate spending bill, which neither defunds nor delays the Affordable¹ Care Act. President Obama challenged Boehner to hold a vote on the Senate bill to see if that’s the case. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid says the clean spending bill the Senate passed was a measure Boehner personally agreed to over the summer.

 

“What I say to the speaker (is) allow a vote on the resolution that would end the shutdown -- legislation that you, John Boehner, proposed in the first place.”

 

Boehner says he first wants negotiations³ with the White House and Senate over changes to the health care law and reducing the deficit⁴. Ailsa Chang, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

With the partial government shutdown entering its second week, the White House is indicating it might be open to a short-term increase in the nation’s borrowing authority. Though speaking today to breakfast sponsored by online news site Politico, National Economic Council Director Gene⁵ Sperling said a longer extension would be better. Sperling says the size of that increase should be up to Congress. He did reiterate⁶ the president’s position the administration will not negotiate on the debt because he said it would be seen as sanctioning the threat of default as a bargaining chip.

 

Secretary of State John Kerry says he is pleased Syria has begun dismantling⁷ its chemical weapons arsenal⁸. State Department says he was not praising Bashar Assad though as NPR’s Michele Kelemen explains.

 

After meeting his Russian counterpart in Indonesia, Kerry told reporters that the Assad regime deserves credit for quickly starting the process of destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles.

 

“It’s a good beginning and we should welcome a good beginning.”

 

Back in Washington his spokesperson Marie Harf insisted that the US hasn’t changed its position on Assad.

 

“What Bashar al-Assad has done is horrific. He has no legitimacy⁹. Nobody is giving him any praise.”

 

She says Kerry was only stating the fact that Assad regime controls Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles, and it has responsibility to follow through on its pledge to give up those weapons. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

A defeat for Big Tobacco before the Supreme¹⁰ Court today, justices declining to hear an appeal of a Florida lawsuit¹¹ that made it easier for sick smokers¹³ and their survivors¹⁴ pursue lawsuits¹⁵ against tobacco companies. The court refused to hear an appeal from Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and the Liggett Group. Tobacco makers¹⁷ have been requesting that high court justices overturn its 2.5-million-dollar verdict by a Tampa jury in the death of a sick smoker¹². The state’s courts had ruled the tobacco companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid the dangers of smoking.

 

Stocks starting out the week on a down note, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 136 points to end the session at 14,936; the NASDAQ dropped 37 points; the S&P 500 closed down 14 points. You’re listening to NPR.

 

Testimony¹⁸ in the case of BP’s blown-out oil well has now turned to how much oil actually spilled into the Gulf¹⁹ of Mexico. Lawyers for the company and the federal government today began presenting a US district court judge with conflicting theories, each seeking to back up their differing estimates. Government has said it believes 4.2 million barrels of oil gushed²⁰ into the Gulf from the company’s blown-out well in 2010. However, BP is saying the amount is only slightly more than half that. Number chosen is important because the figure will be used to calculate any penalties BP might face for violating the Clean Water Act.

 

Japan Airlines announced today it will buy more than two dozen white body jets from European airplane maker¹⁶ Airbus. The deal could be worth an estimated 9.5 billion dollars. As NPR’s David Schaper explains, it’s a big blow to American airplane maker Boeing, which has long dominated the Japanese market.

 

Japan Airlines has relied on Boeing for its entire fleet of aircraft for decades. But as it looks to replace the Boeing 777 jets that will soon retire, JAL turned to Europe's Airbus for the first time in the company’s history. Japan Airlines is ordering 31 A350s with an option to buy 25 more. The first planes could be ready for delivery next year. Boeing is yet to launch its own 777 replacement²¹, which will be called the 777X. And industry analysts²² say those development delays coupled with the recent problems with the 787 Dreamliner could cost Chicago-based Boeing even more market share in Japan and elsewhere. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

 

A flawless white diamond, the size of a small egg, has sold for more than 30 million dollars at auction²³ in Hong Kong, (the) 118-carat oval stone ranking as most significant such stone ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Two phone bidders²⁴ were competing for the diamond.

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

5 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

6 reiterate   

v.重申，反复地说

参考例句：

• Let me reiterate that we have absolutely no plans to increase taxation.让我再一次重申我们绝对没有增税的计划。
• I must reiterate that our position on this issue is very clear.我必须重申我们对这一项议题的立场很清楚。

7 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

8 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

9 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

12 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

13 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

14 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

15 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

16 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

17 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

19 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

20 gushed   

v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

22 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

23 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

24 bidders   

n.出价者，投标人( bidder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Bidders should proceed only if they intend on using a PayPal account to complete payment. Bidders的唯一形式，应继续只当他们在使用贝宝帐户，以完成付款打算。 来自互联网
• The other bidders for the contract complained that it had not been a fair contest. 其他竞标人抱怨说该合同的竞标不公平。 来自《简明英汉词典》